Sheikah's Fall
by Slavok
Summary: What happened to the Sheikah, and why did only Impa remain? And how did Ganondorf become privy to the secrets of the Royal Family? Beware, reader, for here is gathered Hyrule's bloody history of greed and hatred.


Sheikah's Fall

Chapter One

Reason

Daphnes Nohansen, King of Hyrule, Heir of the Divine, was blind, if only metaphorically. Most Hylians were, though few matched their king's confidence in his eyes. His Majesty stomped through the most dangerous forest in the world with a Goron's grace, looking for an emissary.

Bagiro followed him like a shadow, watching everything with one red eye. One needed caution when traversing the Lost Woods. The forest had walls to keep people out, but it had a special sort of madness that kept everyone in. The wind whistled through the trees, permeating the woods with a rhythmless song that would drive the soundest of minds in circles until lunacy spread into the flesh leaving a Stalfos where a man once wandered.

The forest canopy blocked out most of the summer sun, but as the trees swayed in the wind, rays of light peeked through, leaving the ground level a mix of light and shadow. Bagiro took care to keep the edge of the forest within view where he could still see the open plains of Hyrule Field. As long as he could see that, he, the king, and the king's guards were safe.

He looked over the honor guard Nohansen had brought with him. Three carried swords, three carried spears, and all of them wore armor. As he watched them, Bagiro remembered the story of a child who, afraid of the dark, lit a candle next to his bed to help his sleep. As the boy slumbered, the candle caught the sheets on fire and burned his cottage to the ground.

Still, the king went to meet a representative of one of the most benevolent spirits in the known world; the Great Deku Tree was no more likely to harm the King of Hyrule than one of the Great Fairies, and the guards were more for show than for anything else. Much of what Daphnes did was for show, and it still surprised Bagiro how many the performance fooled.

Bagiro placed a hand on the king's shoulder and motioned toward the emissary whom Daphnes had nearly stepped on. The forest dweller wore a green tunic and had green hair, allowing her to blend into the foliage, though the king should still have seen her. But again, he was blind.

Nohansen looked down at the Kokiri. "Are you the … messenger of the Great Deku Tree?" he asked.

Like all Kokiri, she appeared no older than a child, and she could have been mistaken for a young Hylian if not for her hair color and the glowing fairy which hovered around her. She grinned and nodded. "Sure am. My name's Saria. I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. King."

Nohansen seemed taken aback by the Kokiri's informal greeting, but he recovered quickly. Bagiro had studied him throughout his reign, and his greatest strength was his ability to accept foreign cultures. Two weeks ago, the leader of the Gorons had greeted him with a backbreaking hug that many of his ancestors would have considered an act of war, but the king had managed a laugh and hugged him back.

He smiled, perhaps more condescendingly than he should have, but he was, in his own blind eyes, speaking to a child. "And I you, little one. Before we begin, are you familiar with the relationship my bloodline has with your guardian?"

The girl barely seemed to be paying attention to him, and instead focused on her fairy which circled slowly around the king. The relationship between the Great Deku Tree, the Kokiri, and the fairies intrigued Bagiro. He attributed most of the unique characteristics of the Kokiri to the fairies, acting both as a guiding light to save the children from getting lost, as well as leaving them in a perpetual state of rebirth. But to command so many … not even the Great Fairies who inhabited subterranean sanctuaries throughout the land had that power.

"Yup," Saria replied. Her fairy fluttered over to one of the king's guards. "The green shiny you-know-what that lets you get to the yellow shiny you-know-what on the other side of the door to you-know-where. He told me about it ages ago."

Nohansen smiled at her hyperbole to mask his discomfort at the secrets of the Royal Family discussed so flippantly, but if the girl was, in fact, older than the age, could anyone tell? If her green hair was the result of prolonged influence of the forest, then she would have had to have been older than any of her kind whom Bagiro had read about, and she could have, in fact, been around for ages.

"Well," the king said. "Then you understand the great trust my ancestors have bestowed upon your people in allowing you to watch over the Spiritual Stone of the Forest."

"Trust?" Saria repeated, looking up at him as her fairy fluttered toward the guards. "That's not what I heard. _I_ heard that you had too many greedy kings." She grinned impishly. "The creators of this world aren't fond of false gods, are they?"

"Don't tell me my own history, child," the king snapped. "I know it truly."

Bagiro doubted that. The Kokiri's version was likely closer to the truth, but Daphnes, like most kings, prefered to rewrite history rather than remember it.

"If you say so," Saria replied, but she didn't seem convinced or intimidated.

Bagiro flinched as the fairy finished examining the guards and began circling around him. While he kept most of himself covered beneath his brown cloak and turban, the red eye on his face marked him as one of the Sheikah, the Shadow Folk by blood, and the red eye on his tabard marked him as one by choice. The Sheikah had a proud history of keeping secrets, and as the fairy studied him, he couldn't help but wonder how much it could tell. He heard a soft sound as the fairy flew by his ears, like the jingling of a bell. It had too much of a pattern to it to be the sound of flapping wings. It sounded like some sort of language.

"Regardless," the king said, "I would like to strengthen the alliance between our peoples. Now, we are far too isolated. A messenger can travel from Castle Town to the home of the Gorons or the Zoras in a day or less, but my people can barely step into your forest without risking their lives. Setting up this meeting alone took weeks."

Eventually, the king had needed to order groups of musicians to perform at the edge of the woods, and even then they had played for days before a child in green grew curious enough to approach them.

"If we could establish a method of communication between our peoples, not only would we both be safer should we be attacked by a foreign power, but opening trade routes between us could profit us both immensely."

"Trade routes?" She sounded amused. "What could you possibly have that we'd want?"

"Oh, there are many things that one cannot obtain in a forest," the king said. "Not even in one as vast as this. Wool and livestock from our fields, glassworks from our neighbors to the West, metalworks, spears, swords–"

Saria waved a dismissive hand. "We already have a sword."

The king smiled, as condescending as before. "There are situations that require more than one sword."

"Not. Here." Her voice had lost its cheer. "And that way of thinking is why we came to these woods in the first place."

Bagiro's eye widened at that comment. He knew of two theories for the origin of the Kokiri. One said that they were plants that had grown into the shape of Hylian children, but Saria had just hinted at the second theory, that the Kokiri were children orphaned in ancient battles whom the Great Deku Tree had chosen to protect. A people born out of the refuse of war would not be keen on meeting strangers.

"But I'll ask him," she said. "Just wait right here, I'll be back in a minute." Without so much as a bow or curtsy, Saria pranced off deeper into the woods—and pulled out an ocarina.

It wasn't _the_ ocarina of course—the Ocarina of Time was closely guarded as the most sacred treasure of the Royal Family—but it was _an_ ocarina. Songs of Power aside, anyone who preferred _that_ instrument deserved to be watched closely. And listened to.

The song she played was fast and cheerful, two-four time he guessed, one that inspired dance and laughter. Bagiro resisted the urge to play along on the small drum set he carried with him, but he focused the tune. Songs of Power could only be given, not stolen, but he memorized it all the same.

"Tell me," Daphnes said softly after the girl had left. "Should I be offended by the Tree's choice of emissary?"

"One should never be offended, oh King," Bagiro replied. "Offense puts one in the power of his enemies and turns him against his friends."

"Should I be insulted, then?" he asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"I do not know," Bagiro admitted. "But I doubt it. Speaking with the Great Deku Tree in person would require him to send you a fairy to guide you into the heart of the forest, which would put you entirely in his power. Why he sent you _this_ Kokiri, I do not know either. She could be as old as she looks, but she could also be older than both of us.

"I studied a group of orphans once," he continued. "There were four of them, and the eldest was ten. But she carried herself as an adult because she carried the responsibilities of one. Even if the Kokiri is a society made entirely of children, not all of them will _be_ children."

"So," the king said. "Your answer is … what?"

"Watch," Bagiro said. "And listen. Choices are made best under correct information."

Saria finished her song and returned with a somber expression on her face. "The Great Deku Tree has a message for you. He says, 'I watch the horizons to the east and to the west, to the north and to the south, but thine enemies lurk not there. Harken, King of the Golden Country, and beware. Beware the false friend who knows thine secrets. Beware the serpent in thy bosom and the lies within his fangs, for that which the Goddesses have bestowed upon the children of Hylia, the same might they remove."

Her eyes flickered towards Bagiro, and in that instant he could believe that she was as old as the forest itself. But then she smiled, the moment passed, and again she wore the face of a child. "At least, that's the gist of it. The Great Deku Tree tends to ramble."

Nohansen watched her curiously before speaking. "And if a foreign power does invade?"

"Then we'll send over someone with the green shiny you-know-what to give it to you."

Bagiro stepped forward and spoke to her for the first time. "Do not your people die beyond these woods?"

Saria shrugged. "Don't yours? We die when we get invaded, too. But if you like, you can build a watchtower on the other side of the trees, and I'll send someone over to check on your people once a day or so."

"That's a start, I suppose," Nohansen said. "I look forward to working with your people more in the future." He straightened his back, turned around, and walked toward the edge of the forest. His honor guard followed him with the formality of a practiced parade, but Bagiro stayed to bow to the small forest dweller. Saria giggled in amusement and curtsied.

After they left the borders of the forest the king turned to him. "That could have gone better."

Bagiro blinked repeatedly in the open sunlight, waiting for his eye to adjust. The eyes of all Shadow Folk could adapt immediately to darkness, but the reverse took far longer. He had barely noticed the difference when he entered the shade under the solid canopy, but as soon as he stepped into the light, he too was blind.

"Perhaps," he said. "Perhaps not. She did agree to open a line of communication with you, which is more than many of your predecessors have accomplished."

"Bah! None of them wanted to."

Bagiro doubted that. Kings wanted everything, especially things on maps. "Still, it's a start. Perhaps in the future, the Great Deku Tree will grant a fairy to a Hylian emissary to communicate directly with him, but for now the Kokiri are timid and untrusting of outsiders, and anything besides patience will make them withdraw."

"Patience?" The king scoffed at the notion. "Unlike those forest faries, I _don't_ live forever, and I'd like to see a unified Hyrule before I die, not after." His brow furrowed. "The alliance with the Zoras is nearly finalized, and the Gorons … the Gorons have agreed to my terms. But with the Kokiri, their _emissary_ didn't even seem interested. Why is that?"

Nohansen often asked Bagiro for advice, but he seldom heeded it. "The Kokiri have long valued their isolation from the rest of the world. You can prod and encourage all you like, but you cannot change the nature of a man or of a people by any will except their own."

Nohansen shook his head. "If you had your way, I'd do nothing all day but sit on my throne and watch my people rule themselves." Such a method would put him ahead of many of Hyrule's kings. "Perhaps I should have been more forceful. They feel so secure in their accursed forest, but if I reminded them how easy it would be to burn it down they'd show more respect."

"Your Majesty …."

He sighed. "Yes, I know, you think that action would be _unwise_."

"Have you ever studied dogs, oh King?"

"I … dogs?" The king raised an eyebrow, unsure if he had heard him right. "No, and I'm sure that you have a round-about point to this, so why don't you just come out and say it?"

"The smallest dogs are often the most fierce," Bagiro explained, "and they are by necessity, for if you forgot the dog was there, you could kill it by stepping on it. So they bark and they bite and they put on every show of false strength because they know they have _none_. It is only the large dogs that are strong enough to be gentle." He waited for his words to sink in. "The Great Deku Tree is possibly the most gentle, benevolent spirit in the known world, possibly planted by the Goddess Farore herself."

The king sighed again and shook his head. "Fine, fine. I will heed your counsel and continue to do _nothing_."

"Thank you." Bagiro bowed his head. "Now, you mentioned your terms with the Gorons. Would those terms include the trade agreement you discussed with Daruni during your last meeting?"

"Of course." Death Mountain was full of ore deposits, which the Gorons had been content to throw away as they dug for the gems and geodes they could eat. They had no source of lumber though, so the king seized the opportunity. "Trade is the meat of any alliance."

"Trade caravans would need to pass through Kakariko Village." Kakariko Village was the home of the Sheikah people, built on the only entrance to Goron territory. The Gorons and the Hylians had patched up their differences in recent history, though their home still bore the name "Death Mountain," and the Sheikah still stood between the Stone Folk and those they had sworn to protect.

The king let out a breath in frustration. "Are your people still arguing about that? By the Goddesses, I swear I'll never understand you Shadow Folk. You take such pride in your service to the throne, but if I ask for the slightest thing out of the ordinary, your 'Council of Elders' sits and blabbers on for weeks to decide if it's convenient enough a task to perform."

"Protecting the Royal Family, as commanded by the Goddess herself, and turning our home into a waystation for merchants are two different things." He smiled slightly beneath the bandages on his face. "We too value our isolation."

"More than you value an order by your king?"

Bagiro's eye widened, but he kept his voice steady. "Is it an order, then?"

Nohansen heard the question, but not the warning. He stopped in front of his carriage, as sober as Bagiro had ever seen him. "You know how much it would shame me if my allies saw that I could not command my own people. I don't have time to wait for your village elders to deign to obey, not when so much remains to be done. Allow them to charge tariffs on the caravans if you think it will help assuage their pride, but _make your people see reason._ "

Bagiro studied him, saw him as as not even another Sheikah could. He measured the king's heart and mind, his cost and worth. Any Sheikah could see through shadows. Bagiro could see a man's soul. "I assure you, oh king, that reason is all we desire to see."

WWW

A/n With the new Zelda game out, I decided to celebrate by polishing and publishing all the zelda fics I have on my computer and in my head, and Sheikah's fall was at the top of the list. A while ago I got the idea of writing the backstory to one of my favorite video games, and it was a toss up between Ocarina of Time and Morrowind. Most of this story will be based off of youtube video game theories because I'm not smart enough to come up with this stuff on my own, though I will flesh it out with my own artistic licence. Reviews, of course, are more than welcome, and if you're confused about any part of the story, let me know and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.


End file.
